First-round cornerback Jaire Alexander can hop right into the starting lineup as a third corner if necessary, provided he makes the jump well. And second-round corner Josh Jackson, 6’0 to Alexander’s 5’10, has long arms and a track record of being productive around the football. He gives the Packers more options on the boundary.
And while normally a third-round pick won’t face a ton of pressure, the Packers traded up to secure Vanderbilt’s Oren Burks, a 6’3, 233-pound tweener (isn’t it great this isn’t a negative word anymore in football analysis?) who can float between safety and linebacker based on the package, a necessity in the pass-happy NFL.
Third-round rookie Jordan Akins out of UCF might be the sleeper to see the most playing time. A guy with experience at wideout and tight end, Akins could play himself into a large chunk of time at tight end in the wake of C.J. Fiedorowicz’s retirement.
Clearly, though, Houston went into this knowing the draft wasn’t going to offer a ton of instant impact. It’s up to the players to carve out playing time, but focus on development while getting ready to take over at a later date is the likely scenario.
The Astros landed the first punch, the Yankees the next two.
Then came Thursday, a day in which Yankees had the Astros on the ropes, were knocked down and then got back up in the final round to deliver a knockout punch.
This 6-5 comeback win won’t make up for losing last year’s ALCS in seven games, but this whole week was a statement that they’re on a mission to make 2018 an even better season.
Down 5-3 in the ninth, the Yankees staged a three-run rally to pull ahead and then went on to close out the win to take three of four from the Astros in this showdown series.
After loading the bases with nobody out, rookie Gleyber Torres laced a game-tying single and Aaron Judge put the Yankees ahead two batters later with a run-producing fielder’s choice groundball.
Even after that, the Yankees had one final scare when the Astros put two on with two out in the bottom of the ninth facing closer Aroldis Chapman.
But after Evan Gattis reached on a wild pitch when Cheap College Basketball Jerseys he was striking out and George Springer followed with a single to left, Chapman Cheap Denver Broncos Jerseys struck out 2017 NL MVP Jose Altuve on three pitches to end the game.